Starbucks to Downsize Drink Menu In Attempt To Speed Up Ordering Process

Starbucks is going to downsize their drink menu in order to speed up the endless Starbucks waiting experience, in which grouchy decaffeinated customers stare uncomfortably at bottles of “ethos” water while they plan how best to murder the customer ordering a coffee that takes 14 words to describe. According to the Associated Press.

“Starbucks also said it plans to cut the number of different drinks on its menu, a move it hopes will help baristas get customers through the line more quickly.”

Don’t get your Juicy Raspberry in a twist over it, Seattlest reminds us of the Starbucks “secret menu” (you can order whatever you want and they have to make it for you) and the infinite possibilities it contains.

Will fewer choices speed up the line? We remain unconvinced. We are willing to bet that some of those 750 calorie monsters will slowly slide off the menu. Thanks, Menugate!

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Interesting — the only time I was in a Starbucks this year, I walked out without buying anything. I was looking for something specific, but my eyes glazed over in a futile attempt to find it on the sprawling menu.

@timmus: The same thing happens to me whenever I go to Starbucks. I’ve since learned that if you’re looking for something specific, it’s best to just ask for it, instead of trying to find it on the menu.

at your mcdonalds and DQs in the US do they have an abbreviated menu on display? Up here in Canuckland they don’t show prices and sizes for fries, coffee, etc. They only show pictures of sandwiches as part of meals, with prices for meals and ‘sanwich only’. I’m not sure if this is at all locations or something they are trying out.

if you go to a cafe in italy, there isn’t a menu to be seen. you just order what you want and the expert barista makes it.

Starbucks understands that those 750 calorie monsters are responsible for a significant chunk of their profits, as no actual coffee goes into it. It’s all milk solids, reconstituted, etc. However, I can see lines being moved more quickly if there is less time to dilly-dally behind the counter for those who aren’t regular customers. We’ll see in the long run.

I don’t think these changes are going to affect the waiting times. What they will change, I hope, is the taste and quality of the Starbucks coffee.
If their employees could spend less time trying to understand those crazy mixes and focus on improving their coffee-making skills I believe this change is for the good

I’ve seen that cropping up here in the midwest. I suspect the reasoning is similar to that of Starbucks: that too much choice leads to overload and confusion, a situation best summed up in Joe Jackson’s “Obvious Song” from the underrated Laughter and Lust album.

@MeiratWalyou: Um, the coffee is pre-measured and all we do is put the coffee/filter into the brewer and hit “Brew.” There’s really not much we can do to improve that as baristas. If you don’t like the coffee, that’s fine, go somewhere else.

If you were referring to the espresso drinks… most, if not all, SBux are using an automatic espresso machine (no more manual tamping, yay!). The only control we have over that is defining the time it takes to pull a shot (13-16 seconds is ideal, if I recall correctly). But the calibration is time consuming and if the shots get off in either direction during a morning rush, I can’t open up the machine and take the next ten to fifteen minutes to calibrate it.

Lastly, if you were referring to the baristas actually getting the drink recipes correct… well, there’s not a lot I can say. There are insanely incompetent baristas/supervisors who couldn’t make a drink if their lives depended on it (and still remain employed somehow). But then there are the very competent baristas who are both efficient and accurate in their drink-making. It’s really the luck of the draw. If you do come across a barista that makes your drink perfectly, ask them to make your drink the next time they’re there when you come in.

…. all of that because you weren’t specific about what you were bitching about.

Since Starbucks changed their machines to the fully automated ones, I have to agree with you.

However, barista is a perfectly sensible attribute for somebody who can work magic with an espresso machine. Watching a person who knows what they’re doing create a latte is somewhat akin to watching Michelangelo working that ceiling…or at least watching Banksy do something.

If you need further proof, visit Cafe Vivace in Seattle. I still have dreams about that place and haven’t lived there in over 10 years.

@Fuzz: Target makes its employees sit through a meeting every day where they talk about the stock of the company and how well the particular store is doing profits/losses. I think its supposed to make you proud of your work, but all it did was remind me that my hard work was fattening the pockets of some investor while my salary was still seven bucks an hour.

@CAPSTINENCE
I wasn’t bitching about anything, merely giving my opinion. And like you say; “There are insanely incompetent baristas/supervisors who couldn’t make a drink if their lives depended on it”.
Couldn’t these guys profit from a less diversified offering and thus a chance to focus on improving their coffee-making skills?
Nevertheless, I will pass by and taste one of yours, maybe I will have changed my mind.

The reason their menus are overwhelming is because they are hard to read. They are all one unified color and there is nothing other than the text heading that states the different categories. They should use different colors, fonts or graphics to identify the tea menu, the espresso drink menu and the frap/frozen drinks menu.
Their menus are a visual nightmare even for someone like me who can order on autopilot at Sbux.
I tried to find the name of a non-coffee drink last week and I had to spend about 30 seconds trying to find it on the brown on brown menu. It should have taken 10 seconds to scan and find it.
It is a total confusing situation for a coffee newbie to figure their menu out since there are no visual keys to go by. I saw a woman walk up to a menu a Sbux a few weeks ago. She looked like she was hit with a 2×4.

Instead of cutting the posted menu they need to redesign their signage. This kind of thing really irritates me in retail.
/End my graphic designer rant.

@MeiratWalyou: The problem is, that the menu may LOOK diversified. But the actual espresso drink-making is basically knowing the following things:

Espresso Shots: Tall: 1, Grande: 1, Venti: 2, Iced Venti: 3

Syrup Pumps: Tall: 3, Grande: 4, Venti: 5, Iced Venti: 6

There are two or three drinks that deviate from this formula (the Caramel Macchiato gets one less pump than normal, for instance), but if you can get the main idea, the rest is not daunting at all. The only reason baristas at TheBux screw up is because either:

1) They’re in a rush without the experience to handle it.
2) They’re lazy or they just don’t care (I’ve attempted to train these kinds of employees and it’s infuriating).
3) They are just an inept individual that should never have been hired (also common).

Honestly, the formula for drink-making is so simple that when we roll out new beverages, a halfway-decent barista will know how to make the drink without needing to look at the new drink card in the Beverage Resource Manual (yes, that exists).

If anyone wants their coffee drink in less than an hour and without the pickiest customers in the world who take five hours to order, why in the hell is anyone going to Starbucks for?

I got to Starbucks every now and then but I think I will start using my Keurig and my own syrups more. I can get great tasting, quick coffee without the above mentioned and without milk that gives me a stomach ache.

I don’t think it’s the number of choices, I think it’s people getting in line before they know what they want. Hey folks, if you’re the type of person can’t figure out what you want within the 5-minutes that you’re in line, kindly step aside and figure it out before you get to the counter. There’s nothing more frustrating than being second in line and spending 20 minutes behind somebody that’s mentally considering each and every choice on the menu.

God, Starbucks really is starting to become the McDonald’s of the coffee world. It’s like they no longer care about delivering a quality product in a relaxing and inviting atmosphere, but now are only concerned with how much they can streamline every step of every process in every franchise. It’s reminding me of all the things I read that McDonald’s did to innovate and get ahead and cut costs in Fast Food Nation…

this bloated and ridiculous menu is exactly what the Starbucks founder is worried about. He originally wanted something more akin to a traditional italian cafe. Somewhere along the line it became less about great coffee and more about slurpees.

in italy they have espresso/macchiato, latte, cappucino, and mocha. the syrups are for sodas. too much choice leads to poor quality.

I just wish I could say “with skim milk” instead of “nonfat” without getting corrected. Makes it sound like I’m ordering a “diet” or health conscious drink, and we all know better! And I wish they wouldn’t forever ask me if I still want the whip. I just don’t like whole milk–makes me want to hurl. A nice little dollop of sweet whip is another story, though. Particularly on a dulce de leche latte. Yum.

I have to say, though, that the barista who listened to my two and a half year old who told her she wanted something “purple” was awesome though. She made her this great pomegranite juice thing (I’m sorry, I don’t even know what it was called), and she came out and talked to her while we sat and sipped our drinks. I have to stay away from Starbucks when my kids are with me. Now that they know they can get “smoothies” (that’s what the kiddos call them), I end up spending even more!

As long as they don’t cut my drink from the menu I will be happy. I am an avid and devoted starbucks addict and if they want to keep people like they will not cut menu items at least not the ones that contain many shots of espresso. My drink of choice: ***Quad venti caramel macchiatto Xtra Hot***

I,m also an avid addict. Don,t cut items. CEO’S? Don’t you know that Starbuck customers don’t really mind waiting even though they may seem to mind. There’s no competition, not really. It’s ok that I can’t pronouce “MACCHIATTO” it’s even ok that webster does not list it and I don’t even know what it means.